LETTER: Pills packed with information

THE remarks attributed to Jane Richards ("Nanny EU's new drug edict", 11 June) are misleading and detract from the positive benefits that "patient packs" of medicines will pro-vide compared to the current system of dispensing loose tablets.

It should be made clear that generic medicines are only dispensed by pharmacists when a doctor prescribes them or in an emergency. There is no question of a pharmacist dispensing a generic medicine where a doctor has requested a particular brand for a patient, except with the consent of the prescriber.

Patient packs will provide patients with more information about medicines and help them to get maximum benefit from treatment. Whether branded or generic, the medicine will come with patient-specific instructions.

Jane Richards and

David Coleman

Royal Pharmaceutical Society

London SE1